Victorian Food
Enjoy this page about Victorian foods, and remember that Sarah's historical fiction series contains many recipes for the foods mentioned in the stories. If you're interested in 19th-century foods Sarah's books are a great way to learn more about them!
"To be a good cook means the knowledge of all fruits, herbs, balms and spices, and of all that is healing and meet in fields and grove, savory in meat. It means carefulness, inventiveness, watchfulness, willingness and readiness of appliance. It means the economy of your great-grandmother and the science of modern chemists; it means much tasting and no wasting; it means English thoroughness, French art and Arabian hospitality; it means in fine that you are to be perfectly and always ladies, and that you are to see that everybody has something nice to eat." —Ruskin
Meringued coffee
Coasting cookies
Card with 1875 recipe
"…Ken frowned petulantly, broke one of the cookies in half, then broke it in half again and offered McCoy one quarter-part of the cookie with an exaggerated air of great self-sacrifice. Felix chuckled and passed McCoy the platter, then stole Ken's remaining three-fourths cookie for himself…" --Excerpted from A Rapping at the Door, Book III in the Tales of Chetzemoka
Bread
"In our own times, and among civilised peoples, bread has become an article of food of the first necessity; and properly so, for it constitutes of itself a complete life-sustainer, the gluten, fibrin, fat, phosphates, starch and sugar, which it contains, representing all the necessary classes of food..." - Beeton, Isabella. The Book of Household Management. Ward, Lock & Bowden, Limited: London, 1893. page 1081
A Trip and a Tumble
Buy the Book
Ice Cream Sodas
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Did you know that the root beer floats and other ice cream sodas were invented by the Victorians? Click on these links to read some fun articles about the origins of one of Sarah's favorite treats: The American Drink (1897) Evils of Encouraging the Ice Cream Soda Trade (1897) How to Draw A Glass of Ice Cream Soda (1893) Origin of Ice-Cream Soda Water (1892) Serving Ice Cream Soda (1901) Soda Water (1896) |
Victorian soda maker
Gasogene video
A gasogene is an 1880s device for making home-made seltzer water. Still water goes in the top and baking soda + phosphoric acid goes in the bottom. When the alkaline combines with the base, they send up CO2 bubbles which get forced into the water under pressure, and the water gets dispensed through the nozzle as seltzer. Various flavorings can then be added to it.
Soda resources:
Acid Phosphate (for adding to sodas): Extinct Chemical Company http://www.artofdrink.com/shop
Tonic (for adding to sodas): Bradley's Tonic Co. http://kinatonic.com/about-us/
Free digital copy of an 1888 book for people who ran soda counters: A Treatise on Beverages by Charles Herman Sulz http://tinyurl.com/y7m8ezqg
Free digital copy of an 1888 recipe book for soda syrups and flavorings: Sulz's Compendium of Flavoings, Containing Complete Directions for Making, Clarifying, and Judiciously Applying Every Known Variety of Flavoring Extracts and Essences; also for Preparing, Purifying and Testing Plain and Compound Syrups of Every Grade http://tinyurl.com/y7j4eaaf
Soda resources:
Acid Phosphate (for adding to sodas): Extinct Chemical Company http://www.artofdrink.com/shop
Tonic (for adding to sodas): Bradley's Tonic Co. http://kinatonic.com/about-us/
Free digital copy of an 1888 book for people who ran soda counters: A Treatise on Beverages by Charles Herman Sulz http://tinyurl.com/y7m8ezqg
Free digital copy of an 1888 recipe book for soda syrups and flavorings: Sulz's Compendium of Flavoings, Containing Complete Directions for Making, Clarifying, and Judiciously Applying Every Known Variety of Flavoring Extracts and Essences; also for Preparing, Purifying and Testing Plain and Compound Syrups of Every Grade http://tinyurl.com/y7j4eaaf
Image courtesy Estar Hyo-Gyung Choi, Mary Studio.
Sarah's bread recipe
Makes one loaf
Whisk together:
1 cup warm water
2 Tablespoons yeast
1/2 cup flour
Let this mixture rise until full of large bubbles and doubled in size - about 20 - 30 minutes.
Then add:
4 cups flour
Large pinch of salt
1 cup water
Mix thoroughly. Let rest 1-2 minutes. (For me, this "rest time" is however long it takes me to wash my hands and grease my bread pan. The idea is to give the dough just enough time for the flour to absorb the water so that the dough won't be too sticky to knead. If it rests for too long though, all the air bubbles that form at this stage get forced out in the kneading process and the bread won't rise to its full potential.) Turn onto breadboard and knead until elastic and lively. Form into a loaf and put into pan. Let rise until double. (This can take anywhere from 90 minutes to a little over 3 hours depending on the temperature of the room. 2 hours is about average in our kitchen in late Spring / early Autumn.)
Bake at 435 degrees for 20 minutes. Remove from pan and set the loaf on its side to cool. (This keeps the steam of the cooling loaf from making the bottom soggy.)
Makes one loaf
Whisk together:
1 cup warm water
2 Tablespoons yeast
1/2 cup flour
Let this mixture rise until full of large bubbles and doubled in size - about 20 - 30 minutes.
Then add:
4 cups flour
Large pinch of salt
1 cup water
Mix thoroughly. Let rest 1-2 minutes. (For me, this "rest time" is however long it takes me to wash my hands and grease my bread pan. The idea is to give the dough just enough time for the flour to absorb the water so that the dough won't be too sticky to knead. If it rests for too long though, all the air bubbles that form at this stage get forced out in the kneading process and the bread won't rise to its full potential.) Turn onto breadboard and knead until elastic and lively. Form into a loaf and put into pan. Let rise until double. (This can take anywhere from 90 minutes to a little over 3 hours depending on the temperature of the room. 2 hours is about average in our kitchen in late Spring / early Autumn.)
Bake at 435 degrees for 20 minutes. Remove from pan and set the loaf on its side to cool. (This keeps the steam of the cooling loaf from making the bottom soggy.)
Image courtesy Estar Hyo-Gyung Choi, Mary Studio.
Image courtesy Estar Hyo-Gyung Choi, Mary Studio.
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"There is too little fat and too little flesh-former [in bread] if used as a sole article of food." - Beeton, Isabella. The Book of Household Management. Ward, Lock & Bowden, Limited: London, 1893. page 1081
"The
etiquette of eating a soft-boiled egg has been the subject of more than one
clever essay. The English custom
is to eat it directly from the shell, when of course a small egg cup and egg
spoon are necessary. The American
way is to break the egg into a cup or glass by striking the shell in the center
and turning the contents into the glass.
In this case it is usually eaten with a teaspoon, as an egg spoon,
unless extra large, would be too small, and we have seen the egg held by a
corner of the napkin, but this is not only tiresome but difficult to do nicely,
without soiling the napkin." - Table
Etiquette: The
Etiquette of Small Things. By Mary Barr
Munroe Good Housekeeping. Springfield, Mass., March 2, 1889. Volume 8, No. 9, page 195.
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Rose cake
Card with 1899 recipe
"…"Is the cake all gone? I thought there was a big piece left."
"There's still some in the—" Addie stopped when she saw the empty space where she had left the cake. She frowned curiously at it. "Hmm…" She knew Silas wouldn't have touched such rich fare with a ten foot pole, and Nurse McCoy had too much respect for her position to purloin Jacob and Addie's food on her own account.
An idea occurred to Addie. She looked over at a nearby shelf and saw that a basket of strawberries she'd placed there was likewise missing. She smiled over at Jacob and tapped the empty place. "I think we've had company."…" —Excerpted from A Trip and a Tumble, Book V in the Tales of Chetzemoka
Ginger drop cakes
Card with 1894 recipe
"…and I already made ginger drop cakes for dessert."
Lizzie's stomach growled loudly.
Addie looked down in evident surprise, then she laughed. "I'll take that as a "yes", then!…" —Excerpted from Delivery Delayed, Book IV in the Tales of Chetzemoka
Lizzie's stomach growled loudly.
Addie looked down in evident surprise, then she laughed. "I'll take that as a "yes", then!…" —Excerpted from Delivery Delayed, Book IV in the Tales of Chetzemoka
Macaroni à la crème
Card with 1896 recipe
"…I was looking for you. The club's having dinner at our place tonight and I would love it if you could join us. I'm making macaroni à la crème! Enough for an army —which means that by the time my brother and Felix take their share, the rest of us might actually get to eat, too!"…" —Excerpted from Delivery Delayed, Book IV in the Tales of Chetzemoka
A few more foods around a Victorian kitchen
Some prepared foods are much older than people realize. Here are a few favorites:
Cream of Wheat advertisement from "The Youths Companion" August 29, 1901. Vol 75, No 35, page 424.
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Cream of Wheat
The breakfast favorite now known as Cream of Wheat has a long history. The brand name "Cream of Wheat" dates back to 1893, but the food is older than that. It appears in earlier nineteenth-century cookbooks under the less glamorous name "farina gruel." Tales of Chetzemoka fans: there's an 1875 recipe for farina gruel in Appendix I of Delivery Delayed! Buy the book on Amazon! |
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Shredded Wheat
Another great Victorian cereal from 1893! It was first introduced at the Columbian Exposition world's fair in Chicago. A description of how it was received can be read in Erik Larson's excellent book about the fair, The Devil In the White City. |
(Replica tin)
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John McCann's Steel Cut Irish Oatmeal
The oatmeal that took the prize at the Columbian Exposition in Chicago in 1893. For more information, visit: http://www.mccanns.ie/p_steelcut.html In 1887 a Good Housekeeping reader wrote in to the magazine to laud this oatmeal above all others: "Much has been said and written in connection with the cooking of oatmeal, and still very few know how to cook it well. The ... recipe ... to "boil—boil--and boil," was widely quoted by the press of this country from your pages. To this may be added, with good purpose and effect, the recipe of Mr. John McCann, the manufacturer of the famous McCann brand of Irish oatmeal, at Beamond Mills, Drogheda, Ireland, which is "to boil until it stops fluff—fluffing." The fame of the McCann brand of oatmeal is world-wide, the leading American importers using no other, and this recipe, in connection with that ... already published in GOOD HOUSKEEPING, if carefully followed will leave nothing further to be desired in the matter of oatmeal cooking." Source: "Cooking Oatmeal." Good Housekeeping, December 10, 1887, p. 76. |
Tales of Chetzemoka fans: there's an 1896 recipe for steamed oatmeal in Appendix I of Delivery Delayed! Buy the book on Amazon!
(Replica tin)
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Quaker oats.
Ferdinand Schumacher founded German Mills American Cereal Company in Akron, Ohio, in 1850, and Quaker Oats was first trademarked as a breakfast cereal in 1877. For more information, see: http://www.quakeroats.com/about-quaker-oats/content/quaker-history.aspx |
(Replica tin)
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Amaretti Lazzaroni cookies.
The Lazzaroni bakery can trace its origins back to the 1700's, but the company was officially founded in 1888—the same year our house was built! To read more, visit: http://www.lazzaronisaronno.com/static/client/About-us-65.aspx |
(Replica tin)
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Amaretti Virginia cookies.
Amaretti Virginia cookies date back to 1860. For more information, visit: http://www.amarettivirginia.com/index.php?option=com_k2&view=item&layout=item&id=1&Itemid=2&lang=en |
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Fig Newtons
Invented in 1891! Read more here: http://inventors.about.com/od/fstartinventions/a/Fig_Newton.htm |
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Red Rose Tea
Company founded in 1890 in Canada. Read more here: http://www.redrosetea.com/history.aspx |
(Replica tin)
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Jacob & Co. Cream Crackers
Since 1885. "Baked with only the finest ingredients, Jacob’s Cream Crackers are made based on the traditional method established by George Jacob over a century ago. This light and flaky layered cracker has been a much loved family favourite since its introduction. Freshly packed for maximum taste and crispness, they can be enjoyed with any of your favourite toppings." Source: http://www.valeofoods.com/our-brands/jacobs-biscuits/ |
(Replica box)
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Bell's poultry seasoning. Since 1867. For more information, visit: http://www.bellsseasonings.com/BellsSeasoning.html In 1887 a Good Housekeeping reader wrote in with the following recipe: "The following directions for making an excellent "turkey dressing" may be of service to your readers at the festive season of the year: Take one pint of soaked bread, and season with two teaspoonfuls of salt and Bell's poultry spice to suit the taste (on account of the purity, not more than a tablespoonful to the dressing for an eight-pound turkey), also one tablespoonful of butter, or fat, salt pork cut up very fine. An egg, well worked in, will make the dressing cut up nicely. —A.M.B. Pittsfield, Mass." Source: "Dressing for Fowls." Good Housekeeping. December 10, 1887. |
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Colman's Mustard
Since 1858. For more information, visit: http://www.colmans.co.uk/our-history |
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Coca-cola
Invented May 8, 1886. History of the company: http://assets.coca-colacompany.com/7b/46/e5be4e7d43488c2ef43ca1120a15/TCCC_125Years_Booklet_Spreads_Hi.pdf |
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Pepsi— In 1893 Caleb Davis Bradham introduced his elixir, "Brad's Drink". Brad's drink was re-named Pepsi Cola in 1898.
In spring 2016, Pepsi released "1893 Pepsi"—an homage to their founding year. http://www.pepsistore.com/history.asp |
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Victoria Creams
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Anis de Flavigny candies, depuis 1591
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Foraging
The wild foods in which the Pacific Northwest abounds are a wonderful way to get healthy, nutritious treats - for free! Sarah looks forward to the nettle and the berry seasons every year. Her absolute favorite fruits are thimbleberries: Imagine the sweetest, tenderest strawberry your imagination can produce, and cross it with the tartest raspberry you've ever tasted. Give it the texture of silk-velvet, melting instantly to pure juice the moment it hits your tongue. That is a thimbleberry!
Salmonberries —another native fruit of the Pacific Northwest
Salmonberry bushes in the Tales of Chetzemoka:
"Felix shook his head, then snatched Ken's cap and tossed it into the middle of a thicket of salmonberry bushes. He signaled to Jacob and Addie that they should all keep riding.
By the time Ken had waded into the thorny canes and back out of them again, then caught up with the others, Addie was quite sure that her brother's mind was occupied by more tangible complaints… —Love Will Find A Wheel, Book II in the Tales of Chetzemoka. Buy the book on Amazon
Huckleberry bushes
Huckleberry bushes in the Tales of Chetzemoka:
"Felix asked Ken which he thought were superior: the deciduous red summer huckleberries or the evergreen winter variety.
"You mean those black ones?" Asked Ken, then poured a fistful of little round fruits into his mouth.
"I'd always heard they were blue, but I'll take your word for it."
Ken swallowed the berries in his mouth, then explained: "Well, I suppose they're a really dark blue —like salal berries. They look black from a distance." Ken was generally a great help to Felix in regards to his embarrassments about colors —although admittedly he wasn't above slipping him the occasional green apple as a joke.
Felix nodded. "Reasonable enough. My initial question remains: which do you think are better?"
"Before a frost hits the winter ones, or after?"
"Does it matter?"
"Absolutely! Frost turns them sweet. They're almost as sour as these before the weather turns cold." He picked some more summer berries off the ground…" --A Trip and a Tumble, Book V in the Tales of Chetzemoka
Buy the Book on Amazon
Fruit
"Train the family to eat fruit as desserts. When buying it may seem dear, but if one counts in sugar, milk, and fuel needed in every made dessert (and sometimes the time and strength are valuable), it is easily seen how much cheaper fruit is, even out of season." - The Woman's Book, by various authors. Charles Scribner's Sons, New York, 1894. Volume II. page 307
Times When Things Are In Season
From Isabella Beeton's The Book of Household Management, 1893 edition, pages 123-126:
"The following lists will be found useful in arranging menus...
PROVISIONS IN SEASON IN JANUARY
Vegetables - Jerusalem artichokes, beetroot, broccoli, cabbages, carrots, celery, chervil, cresses, asparagus and cucumbers (forced), endive, lettuces, parsnips, potatoes, savoys, spinach, turnips, - various herbs.
Fruit - Apples, grapes, medlars, nuts, oranges, pears, crystallized preserves (foreign), dried fruits and raisins, plums (French and Spanish), prunes, figs, dates, filberts, walnuts, almonds and Brazil nuts.
"The following lists will be found useful in arranging menus...
PROVISIONS IN SEASON IN JANUARY
Vegetables - Jerusalem artichokes, beetroot, broccoli, cabbages, carrots, celery, chervil, cresses, asparagus and cucumbers (forced), endive, lettuces, parsnips, potatoes, savoys, spinach, turnips, - various herbs.
Fruit - Apples, grapes, medlars, nuts, oranges, pears, crystallized preserves (foreign), dried fruits and raisins, plums (French and Spanish), prunes, figs, dates, filberts, walnuts, almonds and Brazil nuts.
[Continued from The Book of Household Management]
"PROVISIONS IN SEASON IN FEBRUARY
Vegetables - Jerusalem artichokes, asparagus (forced), beetroot, broccoli, (purple and white), Brussels sprouts, cabbages, carrots, celery, chervil, cresses, cucumbers (forced), endive, kidney beans, lettuces, parsnips, potatoes, savoys, spinach, turnips - various herbs.
Fruit - Apples (golden and Dutch pippins), grapes, medlars, foreign and forced rhubarb, nuts, oranges, pears (Bon Chrétien), walnuts, dried fruits (foreign), as almonds and raisins, French and Spanish plums, prunes, figs, dates, crystallized preserves.
"PROVISIONS IN SEASON IN FEBRUARY
Vegetables - Jerusalem artichokes, asparagus (forced), beetroot, broccoli, (purple and white), Brussels sprouts, cabbages, carrots, celery, chervil, cresses, cucumbers (forced), endive, kidney beans, lettuces, parsnips, potatoes, savoys, spinach, turnips - various herbs.
Fruit - Apples (golden and Dutch pippins), grapes, medlars, foreign and forced rhubarb, nuts, oranges, pears (Bon Chrétien), walnuts, dried fruits (foreign), as almonds and raisins, French and Spanish plums, prunes, figs, dates, crystallized preserves.
[Continued from The Book of Household Management]
"PROVISIONS IN SEASON IN MARCH
Vegetables - Foreign and forced asparagus, beetroot, broccoli (purple and white), Brussels sprouts, cabbages, carrots, celery, chervil, cresses, cucumbers (forced), endive, kidney beans, lettuces, parsnips, peas from abroad, potatoes, savoys, sea-kale, spinach, turnips - various herbs.
Fruit. -Apples (golden and Dutch pippins), grapes, medlars, oranges, rhubarb, foreign gooseberries, walnuts; dried fruits (foreign) - as raisins, French and Spanish plums, prunes, figs, dates, crystallized preserves, almonds and nuts.
"PROVISIONS IN SEASON IN MARCH
Vegetables - Foreign and forced asparagus, beetroot, broccoli (purple and white), Brussels sprouts, cabbages, carrots, celery, chervil, cresses, cucumbers (forced), endive, kidney beans, lettuces, parsnips, peas from abroad, potatoes, savoys, sea-kale, spinach, turnips - various herbs.
Fruit. -Apples (golden and Dutch pippins), grapes, medlars, oranges, rhubarb, foreign gooseberries, walnuts; dried fruits (foreign) - as raisins, French and Spanish plums, prunes, figs, dates, crystallized preserves, almonds and nuts.
(Asparagus with eggs)
"PROVISIONS IN SEASON IN APRIL
Vegetables. - Broccoli, celery, lettuces, young onions, parsnips, radishes, small salad, sea-kale, spinach, sprouts - various herbs.
Fruit.- Apples, nuts, forced cherries, green gooseberries, &c., for tarts, rhubarb; dried fruits, crystallized preserves.
"PROVISIONS IN SEASON IN MAY
Vegetables. - Asparagus, beans, early cabbages, foreign carrots, cauliflowers, cresses, cucumbers, lettuces, peas, early potatoes, salads, sea-kale - various herbs.
Fruit. - Apples, green apricots, cherries, currants for tarts, gooseberries, melons, pears, rhubarb, strawberries.
"PROVISIONS IN SEASON IN JUNE
Vegetables. - Artichokes, asparagus, beans, cabbages, young carrots, cucumbers, lettuces, onions, parsnips, peas, potatoes, radishes, small salads, sea-kale, spinach - various herbs.
Fruit.- Apricots, cherries, currants, gooseberries, melons, nectarines, peaches, pears, pineapples, raspberries, rhubarb, strawberries.
Vegetables. - Artichokes, asparagus, beans, cabbages, young carrots, cucumbers, lettuces, onions, parsnips, peas, potatoes, radishes, small salads, sea-kale, spinach - various herbs.
Fruit.- Apricots, cherries, currants, gooseberries, melons, nectarines, peaches, pears, pineapples, raspberries, rhubarb, strawberries.
Photo courtesy Estar Hyo-Gyung Choi, Mary Studio.
[Continued from The Book of Household Management]
"PROVISIONS IN SEASON IN JULY
Vegetables. - Artichokes, asparagus, beans, cabbages, carrots, cauliflowers, celery, cresses, endive, lettuces, mushrooms, onions, peas, radishes, new beet, pears, small salaaming, sprouts, turnips, vegetable marrows - various herbs.
Fruit.- Apricots, cherries, currants, figs, gooseberries, melons, nectarines, pineapples, plums, raspberries, strawberries, walnuts for pickling.
"PROVISIONS IN SEASON IN JULY
Vegetables. - Artichokes, asparagus, beans, cabbages, carrots, cauliflowers, celery, cresses, endive, lettuces, mushrooms, onions, peas, radishes, new beet, pears, small salaaming, sprouts, turnips, vegetable marrows - various herbs.
Fruit.- Apricots, cherries, currants, figs, gooseberries, melons, nectarines, pineapples, plums, raspberries, strawberries, walnuts for pickling.
[Continued from The Book of Household Management]
"PROVISIONS IN SEASON IN AUGUST
Vegetables.- Artichokes, asparagus, beans, carrots, cabbages, cauliflowers, celery, cresses, endive, lettuces, mushrooms, onions, peas, potatoes, radishes, sea-kale, small salaaming, sprouts, turnips, various kitchen herbs, vegetable marrows.
Fruit.- Currants, figs, filberts, gooseberries, grapes, melons, mulberries, nectarines, peaches, pears, pineapples, plums, raspberries.
"PROVISIONS IN SEASON IN AUGUST
Vegetables.- Artichokes, asparagus, beans, carrots, cabbages, cauliflowers, celery, cresses, endive, lettuces, mushrooms, onions, peas, potatoes, radishes, sea-kale, small salaaming, sprouts, turnips, various kitchen herbs, vegetable marrows.
Fruit.- Currants, figs, filberts, gooseberries, grapes, melons, mulberries, nectarines, peaches, pears, pineapples, plums, raspberries.
"PROVISIONS IN SEASON IN SEPTEMBER
Vegetables.- Artichokes, asparagus, beans, cabbage sprouts, carrots, celery, lettuces, mushrooms, onions, peas, potatoes, salading, sea-kale, sprouts, tomatoes, turnips, vegetable marrows - various herbs.
Fruit.- Damsons, figs, filberts, grapes, melons, morella-cherries, mulberries, nectarines, peaches, pears, plums, quinces, walnuts.
Vegetables.- Artichokes, asparagus, beans, cabbage sprouts, carrots, celery, lettuces, mushrooms, onions, peas, potatoes, salading, sea-kale, sprouts, tomatoes, turnips, vegetable marrows - various herbs.
Fruit.- Damsons, figs, filberts, grapes, melons, morella-cherries, mulberries, nectarines, peaches, pears, plums, quinces, walnuts.
"PROVISIONS IN SEASON IN OCTOBER
Vegetables. - Artichokes, beets, cabbages, cauliflowers, carrots, celery, lettuces, mushrooms, onions, potatoes, sprouts, tomatoes, turnips, vegetable marrows - various herbs.
Fruit. - Apples, black and white bull aces, damsons, figs, filberts, grapes, pears, quinces, walnuts.
Vegetables. - Artichokes, beets, cabbages, cauliflowers, carrots, celery, lettuces, mushrooms, onions, potatoes, sprouts, tomatoes, turnips, vegetable marrows - various herbs.
Fruit. - Apples, black and white bull aces, damsons, figs, filberts, grapes, pears, quinces, walnuts.
"PROVISIONS IN SEASON IN NOVEMBER
Vegetables. - Beetroot, cabbages, carrots, celery, lettuces, late cucumbers, onions, potatoes, salading, spinach, sprouts - various herbs.
Fruit. - Apples, bullaces, chestnuts, filberts, grapes, pears, walnuts.
[Continued from The Book of Household Management]
"PROVISIONS IN SEASON IN DECEMBER
Vegetables. - Jerusalem artichokes, broccoli, cabbages, carrots, celery, leeks, onions, potatoes, parsnips, Scotch kale, turnips, winter spinach, forced sea-kale
Fruit. - Apples, chestnuts, filberts, grapes, medlars, oranges, pears, walnuts, dried fruits as raisins, figs, dates, &c., crystallized preserves, almonds, and all kinds of nuts.
"PROVISIONS IN SEASON IN DECEMBER
Vegetables. - Jerusalem artichokes, broccoli, cabbages, carrots, celery, leeks, onions, potatoes, parsnips, Scotch kale, turnips, winter spinach, forced sea-kale
Fruit. - Apples, chestnuts, filberts, grapes, medlars, oranges, pears, walnuts, dried fruits as raisins, figs, dates, &c., crystallized preserves, almonds, and all kinds of nuts.
***
Soups
HERBS AND VEGETABLES USED IN SOUPS
From The Capitol Cookbook, 1896, pp. 23-24.
"Of vegetables the principal ones are carrots, tomatoes, asparagus, green peas, okra, macaroni, green corn, beans, rice, vermicelli, Scotch barley, pearl barley, wheat flour, mushroom or mushroom catsup, parsnips, beet-root, turnips, leeks, garlic, shalots and onions; sliced onions fried with butter and flour until they are browned, then rubbed through a sieve, are excellent to heighten the color and flavor of brown sauces and soups. The herbs usually used in soups are parsley, common thyme, summer savory, knotted marjoram, and other seasonings such as bay-leaves, tarragon, allspice, cinnamon, nutmeg, cloves, mace, black and white pepper, red pepper, lemon-peel and juice, orange peel and juice. The latter imparts a finer flavor and the acid much milder. These materials, with wine, and the various catsups, combined in various proportions, are, with other ingredients, made into almost an endless variety of excellent soups and gravies. Soups that are intended for the principal part of a meal certainly ought not to be flavored like sauces, which are only intended to give relish to some particular dish."
From The Capitol Cookbook, 1896, pp. 23-24.
"Of vegetables the principal ones are carrots, tomatoes, asparagus, green peas, okra, macaroni, green corn, beans, rice, vermicelli, Scotch barley, pearl barley, wheat flour, mushroom or mushroom catsup, parsnips, beet-root, turnips, leeks, garlic, shalots and onions; sliced onions fried with butter and flour until they are browned, then rubbed through a sieve, are excellent to heighten the color and flavor of brown sauces and soups. The herbs usually used in soups are parsley, common thyme, summer savory, knotted marjoram, and other seasonings such as bay-leaves, tarragon, allspice, cinnamon, nutmeg, cloves, mace, black and white pepper, red pepper, lemon-peel and juice, orange peel and juice. The latter imparts a finer flavor and the acid much milder. These materials, with wine, and the various catsups, combined in various proportions, are, with other ingredients, made into almost an endless variety of excellent soups and gravies. Soups that are intended for the principal part of a meal certainly ought not to be flavored like sauces, which are only intended to give relish to some particular dish."
"…"Now, my cookbook said this is Jenny Lind's favorite soup," Addie told everyone. She giggled and added, "So you can blame the soup if people start breaking out into song!"…" --Delivery Delayed, Book 4 in the Tales of Chetzemoka. (Recipe appears at the end of the book.)
Buy the book
Learn more
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A few Desserts
For everyday fare, fresh and dried fruits are much cheaper and healthier than made desserts. Baked desserts are a nice treat though, especially when company visits. Here are a few of Sarah's favorite dessert recipes:
Hermit's Cookies
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Original recipe from Plymouth Union Cookbook by The Ladies' Society of the Plymouth Congregational Church, Los Angeles, CA, 1894. page 77
Recipe by Rosa Roth One cup of butter, two cups of sugar, one cup of milk two cups of flour, four eggs, one cup of currants, two teaspoons of baking powder. Very good. 
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Sarah's notes:
I find that the recipe quoted at left makes a batter which is a little thin to be easily worked into cookies. Increasing the amount of flour makes a much more practical dough, and still creates cookies with a wonderful, cake-like texture. My version: 1 cup milk - warm just until small bubbles form at edges, then add: One cup dried currants. Let steep until currants are plump. (If currants are unavailable, raisins may be substituted.) Set aside. Cream together: 1 cup butter 2 cups sugar Add: 4 eggs. Mix well. To butter/sugar/eggs mixture, add: 3 cups flour 2 tsp. baking powder Mix until smooth, then add milk and steeped currants. Drop by spoonfuls onto baking sheet. (The mixture will be thin, even with the extra flour.) Bake until firm (5-10 minutes) at 375 degrees. |
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Bread Pudding (baked)
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Original recipe from The Book of Household Management by Isabella Beeton, Ward, Lock & Bowden, Limited. London, 1893. page 823, recipe #1729
Ingredients - 1/2 lb of grated bread, 1 pint of milk, 4 eggs, 4 oz of butter, 4 oz of moist sugar, 2 oz of candied peel, 6 bitter almonds, 1 tablespoonful of brandy Mode. - Put the milk into a stew pan, with the bitter almonds; let it infuse for a quarter of an hour; bring it to the boiling point; strain it on to the bread-crumbs, and let these remain till cold; then add the eggs, which should be well whisked, the butter, sugar and brandy, and beat the pudding well, until all the ingredients are thoroughly mixed; line the bottom of a pie-dish with the candied peel, sliced thin, put in the mixture and bake for nearly three-quarters of an hour. Time - Nearly 3/4 hour. Average Cost, 1s. 4d Sufficient for 5 or 6 persons. Seasonable at any time Note - A few currants may be substituted for the candied peel, and will be found an excellent addition to this pudding; they should be beaten in with the mixture, and not laid at the bottom of the pie-dish. |
Sarah's notes:
-It is not completely necessary to grate the bread, if the cook is willing to get her hands a bit dirty. I find it is much easier to break or cut the bread into 1-2 inch squares, let the hot liquid help break down the bread's structure, then complete the process of breaking down the bread with my fingers as soon as the mixture has cooled enough to handle. -Bitter almonds are no longer available to buy, but the recipe is still quite tasty even without them. Almond extract can be added, if desired. -Just to suit my own tastes, I use vanilla extract instead of brandy and I like to add a little true cinnamon. This recipe is a great way to use up stale bread! |
Custard sauce for bread pudding
From The Book of Household Management by Isabella Beeton, Ward, Lock & Bowden, Limited. London, 1893.
Vanilla Custard Sauce (To Serve with Puddings), page 355-356, recipe # 789
Ingredients. - 1/2 pint of milk, 2 eggs, 2 oz. of sugar, 10 drops of essence of vanilla.
Mode. - Beat the eggs, sweeten the milk; stir these ingredients well together, and flavour them with the essence of vanilla, regulating the proportions of this latter ingredient by the strength of the essence, the size of the eggs, &c. Put the mixture into a small jug, place this jug in a saucepan of boiling water, and stir the sauce one way until it thickens; but do not allow it to boil, or it will instantly curdle. Serve in a boat or tureen separately, with plum, bread, or any kind of dry pudding. Essence of bitter almonds or lemon-rind may be substituted for the vanilla, when they are more in accordance with the flavor of the pudding with which the sauce is intended to be served.
Time. - To be stirred in the jug from 8 to 10 minutes. Average cost, 4d.
Sufficient for 4 or 5 persons.
Seasonable at any time.
Vanilla Custard Sauce (To Serve with Puddings), page 355-356, recipe # 789
Ingredients. - 1/2 pint of milk, 2 eggs, 2 oz. of sugar, 10 drops of essence of vanilla.
Mode. - Beat the eggs, sweeten the milk; stir these ingredients well together, and flavour them with the essence of vanilla, regulating the proportions of this latter ingredient by the strength of the essence, the size of the eggs, &c. Put the mixture into a small jug, place this jug in a saucepan of boiling water, and stir the sauce one way until it thickens; but do not allow it to boil, or it will instantly curdle. Serve in a boat or tureen separately, with plum, bread, or any kind of dry pudding. Essence of bitter almonds or lemon-rind may be substituted for the vanilla, when they are more in accordance with the flavor of the pudding with which the sauce is intended to be served.
Time. - To be stirred in the jug from 8 to 10 minutes. Average cost, 4d.
Sufficient for 4 or 5 persons.
Seasonable at any time.
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Picnics
"Picnic Days: ... [L]ong, happy days will be spent in the shaded woods, pleasant in social intercourse, merry with jest and song... as in no other banqueting hall..."
— From "The New Bill of Fare." "Table Talk." August, 1895. p. 272.
Foods in Sarah's historical fiction series
The original 19th-century recipes for all of these foods and many more appear in the books' appendixes!
"…There was a huge platter of waffles on the sideboard in the dining room, along with a jug of hot maple syrup, a pot of strong coffee, cream thick enough to cut, and enough bacon to satisfy a lumberjack. Silas sat at the head of the table, glowering at all the rich food from over his oatmeal and toast water…" —--Love Will Find A Wheel, Book 2 of the Tales of Chetzemoka
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"…At the word "kitchen" they both brightened, and Ken asked if there was any cornbread left.
"No, but I made a Sally Lunn this morning. Y'all are welcome to it."
The men exchanged eager grins and followed her into the kitchen…" --A Rapping At The Door, Book 3 in the Tales of Chetzemoka
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"…Addie agreed, picking up the dish that had held the curried mushrooms. There were scarcely left after Felix had attacked them; instead of saving such a minute quantity Addie took up a spoon and finished them herself…" --Delivery Delayed, Book 4 in the Tales of Chetzemoka
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"…"Why don't you try the devil's food cake?" Kitty suggested, cutting a large slice. "The men seem to be preferring that one. The women have been mostly choosing the rose cake."…" --Delivery Delayed, Book 4 in the Tales of Chetzemoka
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In a seaport town in the late 19th-century Pacific Northwest, a group of friends find themselves drawn together —by chance, by love, and by the marvelous changes their world is undergoing. In the process, they learn that the family we choose can be just as important as the ones we're born into. Join their adventures in
The Tales of Chetzemoka
The Tales of Chetzemoka
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First Wheel in Town:
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Love Will Find A Wheel:
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A Rapping At The Door
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Delivery Delayed
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A Trip and a Tumble
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Three Women Awheel
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Anthologies
Links to related portions of our website:
A Dining Room Mystery (Historical article from 1888)
The American Carver (Poem—1887)
Baked Tomatoes: A Recipe from 1894
The Good and Necessary Salad
Historical foods (pictures from the Victorian era)
Historical images related to kitchens and kitchen tools
Milk and Soda—The Victorian energy drink
Our icebox
Our kitchen and dining room
Sarah's Sourdough Bread Recipe
A Dining Room Mystery (Historical article from 1888)
The American Carver (Poem—1887)
Baked Tomatoes: A Recipe from 1894
The Good and Necessary Salad
Historical foods (pictures from the Victorian era)
Historical images related to kitchens and kitchen tools
Milk and Soda—The Victorian energy drink
Our icebox
Our kitchen and dining room
Sarah's Sourdough Bread Recipe
Victorian Cycles
Hand-built 1890's-style bicycles
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